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Tuesday, September 18, 2007 |
Marc Normandin On John Lackey
In today's Baseball Prospectus, Marc Normandin takes a look at John Lackey. Lackey keeps getting the tag of "staff ace" (Normandin calls him "the top Angels starter") and backing away from it. He's grown and learned in the majors, adding an "improved changeup and cut fastball" that "helped cut down on the homer totals", though homer-happy offenses like New York, Boston, and Texas still light him up:
The idea that pitchers don't always perform as well against better offenses is a pretty obvious "no kidding" kind of concept, but Lackey has pitched poorly against two of the better teams in the American League besides his own during his career. This is the sort of problem that can be magnified in the playoffs, or at the least should be something the Angels should be aware of when if they face either New York or Boston in the first round of the playoffs. If you're into designations, this, more than anything, is probably what keeps Lackey in 1A territory rather than as a true number one ace.This is anecdotal more than anything, but I've never seen Lackey throw a game where he pitched like his career numbers indicate; then again, I live in Massachusetts, and the Sox have hit .340/.403/.555 against Lackey in 265 at-bats, with 1.5 HR/9, almost four free passes per nine, and a 6.27 ERA during his career. I know he's good, but when he gets lit up in every national game against Boston or New York, or struggles in the playoffs, it's tough to get noticed.
Labels: angels
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